How has the digital storytelling project of “Other” allowed
you to reflect, empathize and or connect to marginalized people in the novel or
in society.
The digital storytelling project helped me connect to the “others” who are being marginalized in novels and in society. During this project I started to see what life was like in their shoes. For example, my group’s “other” topic is Teenage Dads, and throughout the project, we really developed an understanding for them. Usually, the media focuses on teen mothers instead of fathers, and the fathers are blamed and seemed to be at fault. People often don’t think about their side or their point of view because they sympathize for the pregnant teenage girl. As we have worked on this project, I stepped into the teen dad’s shoes and watched life move on. I realized that these people are just like us and that they shouldn’t be marginalized just because some people don’t take the time to see things from their point of view. As I was reading some interviews online, I saw that these teen dads don’t always want to leave their child behind but must because of the mother’s orders. Thank You
It’s pretty sad to hear that teenage dads often have to take the blame for unplanned pregnancy when both parents are equally responsible. Most people sympathize with the girl since she seems to be an innocent victim, but the truth is that the girl has also made a bad choice. It’s wrong of our society to treat teenage dads as the scapegoat for something they weren’t totally guilty of.
Teen Dads are misunderstood too. However, I disagree with Raji. It is the move of the male that causes the pregnancy. If the dad knew the consequences, he would choose not to impregnate her.
Sorry Daphne, but I'll have to disagree with you on that. It is true that, technically, it is the father's move in impregnating a woman, but, unless its rape, both parents are at fault for poor judgement.
Id like to interject that, in the case of unprotected sex, it is equally placed on both the boy and girl. If contraception failed, it is neither parents fault. So, with both situations, it would be unfair for the "blame", or whatever one wants to call it, to be placed upon a single parent. God forbid any parent, planned or unplanned, tries to use the blame game to get out of being responsible for the child....
I agree with Nick in the sense that it is the fault of both teen parents, because they both agreed to have sex knowing the risks and consequences that followed. It is the teen dad's fault for impregnating the mother, and it is the mother's fault for no objection and agreeing to this. It is unfair for any one of the parents to be blamed, so they both should bear the burden
I also agree with Don and Nick, the dad is always blamed for the pregnancy but the guilt is equal between both parents. Also the fact that teen dads are being marginalized at the same time that teen moms are, it shows that anyone could be discriminated against because of any reason.
The digital storytelling of the "Other" project has made me realize that everyone can be subject to marginalization. Usually, it would seem like a less powerful or affluent group of people would be seen as the "other" group, yet, paradoxically, even the wealthiest can be despised just for being different. This has caused me to reflect upon a facet of human nature, as we treat our fellow beings who are different from us almost as if they are not humans like each an every one of us. Extreme examples would be like apartheid, where one could say that the whites had a fear of embracing a new, foreign people and thus treated them as sub-humans. This project has allowed me to feel empathy or connected to those who are punished and have their rights infringed upon for foolish or illogical reasons. I too connect with marginalized people because they must suffer the consequences of someone's irrational beliefs, just as certain administration "marginalizes" the 1% of Whs, restricting them and encroaching upon the liberty of the people in a watered down form. However, I have also come to an understanding that we as people should not frown upon marginalization, as it does, in moderate amounts, keep things in balance and gives the people the liberty to do as they feel and speak as they feel, even if it may be "discrimination."
I agree with your thought that even the wealthiest and most "well-off" people are marginalized. I believe that every person can be considered as marginalized no matter how "superior" they seem.
The "other" project made me realize that people are being marginalized for anything. Whether it's race, appearance, background, or family, every person is being marginalized because society has become a segregating factor in everybody's life. This project helped me empathize with the marginalized as I related the topic with our school. Even though our school isn't very diverse, everybody is marginalized because everybody is unique. This project also allowed me to embrace my differences as I found that each and every person has a specific trait that they hold.
I agree. Differences are something special and unique to all of us that should bring people together rather than drive them apart. Despite what we may look like or what our abilities are, everything comes down to the fact that we are all people who just want acceptance in our society, from our peers and our family. In that respect, we are all one and the same.
I agree with both Raji and Athena. We are they way we are with our special or unique personalities or talents. This is what makes us different from one another, we don't always have to do what everyone else is doing.
The "Other" project has helped to show me that everything in the world should be looked upon, rather than ignoring the issue because that issue does not relate with one's country. My group's topic (on the Tibetans) was about a group of normal people who were marginalized by the Chinese due to the fact that the Chinese were constantly taking their land away. This led for them to have self-immolation acts, but much of the world does not see what happens in other parts of the world. This can relate to us someway or another at school because there are usually two groups at school, one being the cool one, while the other one is full of nerds. The nerds, being weak, but stronger in intellect, can easily be bullied by the cooler ones. This relates because the cooler ones are the Chinese, where the more lame ones are the Tibetans. This can be related to the old lady on Elm Street in Fahrenheit 451, because she lit herself on fire after she was caught having a pure form of intellectualism, something that the government was against. She was just like the monks that lit themselves on fire to help show that they will never stop to ever get the freedom that they deserve.
Rohun, That was a very... interesting analogy, but creative nonetheless. Though I feel that the comparison to the Tibetan monks and the old woman on elm street is spot on. They both set themselves aflame (which isn't at all a quick, painless death) and died for what they believed in. They are the martyrs that sacrificed themselves in order to bring their issues to light so that the world can be made a better place.
I believe that the Tibetans have the right to their own individuality and that this does not relate to intellect and "coolness". However, the Chinese are much more technologically advanced than the Tibetans and have more intellect, although much of their things is censored. I believe the problem here deals with human rights and also individuality, so I agree partially with your post.
If someone who was getting beat up in front of me by a person who was twice as strong as me, I wouldn't walk away. However, I wouldn't try to solve the problem myself either. Instead, I would go to an older adult to help in this problem.
My groups "Other", about marginalized Tibetan monks and the Dalai Lama, is was a great way to become more informed on the subject. I sympathize and empathize for their hardships. These are people also, and they deserve our respect and acknowledgement. Most of them live their religion, never hurting others and only alive to bring balance to their world, yet they have less than us, who skim along the edges of our religions and rarely care for the world around us. The Tibetans emphasize perseverance and self discovery, for although they are oppressed by the Chinese and their culture clashes with that of the Indians, they survive. Tibet has always been an independent country and was never part of China. Under international law, the Chinese occupation is illegal yet no "major" country speaks up for the Tibetans. Why not? Is it because they are a nonviolent people - is it because they don't resort to violence and terroristic actions - is it because they don't blow up the Chinese citizens? Since when did being peaceful become a handicap to get the world's attention? We criticize other terrorist groups around the world for resorting to violence and lecture them about using peace to achieve their goals - YET here we have people who've steadfastly stuck to nonviolence and righteousness and the "major powers" don't care. Where's the morality in all of this. Where's the talk of human rights that we preach? How hypocritical does the West sound when they lecture about human rights when they ignore the plight of Tibetans. All of this destroys Tibet's cultural identity, suppresses its religious uniqueness. We need to listen to our own sermons on humanity. Follow the morals we impose on others.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting this as an ''other''. That just goes to show how differently people can think when given the same idea to work with. When you think about it, pretty much all "others" are discriminated based on something that they cannot control, whether it be their beliefs of nonviolence, or their looks. All others can unite on that one fact.
Nick I agree with you wholeheartedly, it is a hypocrisy that should not be allowed to stand any longer, and yet it does. It seems to often in this world that human rights are arbitrarily distributed to those that some group decides deserves them, does that make those that are not given this rights somehow not human? or is it because they are regarded as less human that they are not given their rights?
Nick and Kiyaan, I completely agree with your points. How hypocritical it is to lecture about human rights to terrorist groups and not speak up for the Tibetan monks when there is clearly a violation of human rights. It seems like the human rights only extend to those that deserves them, as Kiyaan said.
I think the digital storytelling project really forced all of us to think about marginalized people who can't just go around doing their everyday routine without receiving snickers or weird looks from people all around them. My group first chose to do teen moms because many of them are looked down on. However, we decided to go with something less obvious, like the teen dads because even though the mother is blamed at first, at the end of the day the blame goes to the father. I never really used to think about this stuff but when we first started the teen dads project I kind of believed that they wanted to walk out on the mothers because my judgement was influenced by all the media that focuses on the teen mom and that pushes the teen dads out the door. However, as i started reading about real teen dads' experiences, I realized that they are just like the mothers. They had dreams and passions, and most of them are willing to stay and give up those dreams for their child but sometimes they're pressured out of it. I think it's really unfair that the teen dads are given all the blame, and that people just assume things, because whether they had any business in it or not, their snickers and weird looks do hurt, and no one knows what really happened. The dad could have been pressured by the mother, or by his friends, but people just don't want to give him a chance. I really hope that our video can portray a message that will change everyone's judgement the next time they hear about a teen dad or see one or anything like that. And I'm not saying to give sympathy,I'm saying to give him empathy by not being too quick to judge him.
If society were to think a little bit more of the situation of the dad, do you really think that would change their overall opinion of that individual? I persoanlly believe that change would only be brought about once these teen dads begin pushing for more acceptance in society regarding their curretn situation.
I think if people as individuals looked more into the situation, they'd see a change, but they wouldn't stand up for it because it seems as if in today's society, you need backup when you believe in something, you can;t just say it out loud. For example, when we were doing our research, out of 10 articles, only ONE article was about how society doesn't look at teen dads properly.
Our group's topic for the "other" project is immigration. It has showed me that immigrants aren't always from another country. They can be students in a new school, families moving to a new home, or adults going to a new workplace. It has allowed me to see how immigrants are treated, and how they go about everyday life. Most people may assume that immigrants are treated like everyone else, but they aren't. Often times, they have accents, or act different ways because of their cultural differences. I can think of numerous times where I've asked my parents why a person in public was acting a certain way, and they said it probably had to do with their culture. Many people realize these differences, and judge people because they don't act the same. We should not be quick to judge people that we don't even know, because it's unfair to label someone who you've never met. In addition, many people enjoy imitating or making fun of accents or ways that people speak. I think this is rude, and can be very offensive to people who may speak that way. They may be hurt when they hear this. Immigrants should be treated fairly, because they aren't very different from anyone else.
i believe people do this because they are contributed by a factor of the unknown and it is only human nature to react hostile to people or things they are unfamiliar with. They attack to protect there stereotypical beliefs and to prevent an understanding that these people are similar to them. they don't want to realize that they were wrong. It is an act that is unfair toward all affected. By acting in a hateful manner they hurt all, the person themselves and those around them, instead of a friend they have made and enemy.
i agree that immigrants aren't different. They are just misunderstood. The treatment they get is unfair because of their way of life. We should learn to accept others!
I agree with Katy that cultural differences can hurt someones's perception of an other, but am more inclined to agree with Alan that we judge and become hostile in order to appease our own inhibitions about our actions, we try to justify ourselves by saying others are wrong, or weird. As humans, it is against our nature to be wrong. For example, almost all of us hold on to our belief that we are right, even after we are corrected or told to apologize. (i don't mean small matters like spelling) Being an immigrant to the school, I can truthfully say that I have a hard time relating to a lot of my peers. I find it easier to talk to a junior or senior, that I've known through my sister, than to talk to a fellow freshman. This awkward stage will pass, i hope, but also proves how being new or different can be difficult and sometimes scary.
I agree with you Katy. I think our cultural background makes us individuals unique and gives us a sense of who we are. When people make fun of immigrants because they do things differently or when people just do things differently in general...it is looked at as weird, or strange. I honestly think that this sort of response makes people not want to share their cultural background...or restrict themselves of doing things differently. Tolerance is key here.
My group's topic for the "other" project is bullying. From hearing personal experiences from my fellow group members and friends and family, it really opened my eyes on how bullying is such a big problem in today's society. People are marginalized everyday by their race, exterior looks, religion, etc. For example: In school, everyone know the "other(s)" of the grade. From cyber bullying to indirect bullying to verbal bullying, these students are treated as the lower level. But most of us just watch and don't do anything. Doing this project has really portrayed that you should fight for what is right, even though it might not be popular.
I can empathize with people who are bullied because I have and probably us all have been bullied in one form or another. We simply fail to act upon it because of fear of being bullied. It is a cruel and unreasonable not to act, but it is this fear that overcomes our moral compass. I believe that we as a society must learn to overcome our fear and step up to bullies, this way the rest can follow. We need to break the slim glass foundation that holds bullies up.
bullying is a very broad area, and it's good that you are zeroing in on a certain type of bullying. Everyone has gotten bullied during their life; whether it be about their size, their intelligence, or their physical abilities. I agree with your ideas that this project has opened our eyes to more types of bullying.
While doing the "other" project, I too have been exposed to such discrimination. This project helped me understand and accept that everybody is somewhat being marginalized for being who they truly are.
Agreed. Bullying is something that many people touch base upon, however that is something that only the "1%" get. These people, being the 1 %, are the ones that will change how society will end up treating these kind of people
I agree with your Kimberly! I'm sure we have all had times when we have seen these things happen and not do anything about it. So, we should all take a stand and help! :DD
Bullying is basically the base for marginalization. I agree that everyone has been bullied, for either being different, weird, or not smart, etc... It is also scary because sometimes bullying happens indirectly and bullies blackmail the victim. Bullying, in whatever form it may be, is not right and should be taken care of. It makes me sad to think about this because my cousin knows someone who committed suicide because of this....
Our groups topic for the other project is the 1%. Its really opened my eyes to this entire occupy movement. I always viewed the rich as spoiled and cheap not earning their money but inheriting it. After reading about so many life stories on how these 1% got their money, its turned me against the occupy movement. Its opened my eyes to realize how grossly unfair it is to punish a minority just because they had the assertiveness to take on projects that many believed were not achievable. It seems unfair that we should punish our nations richest men and women just because 99% of people aren't as well off. I can empathize with the 1% and realize how much hard work they put in to keep there companies running. As a nation were creativity is smiled upon, we have no right to punish those who actually use it. http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPo3g9VPXFMALs6JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dhard%2Bwork%2527%26fr%3Dchr-greentree_gc%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=1024&h=768&imgurl=www.eagleonline.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fhard-work.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eagleonline.com%2Fsales-success-through-goals%2F&size=470.4+KB&name=hard+work&p=hard+work%27&oid=5a18f4831ebf458ad10ce35deafa887a&fr2=&fr=chr-greentree_gc&tt=hard%2Bwork&b=0&ni=112&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11nvhhhl5&sigb=13hiospqu&sigi=11k780su3&.crumb=GkOx.fi6vTR
To add the marginalization of the 1% is due to a large part by jealousy. Jealousy is a poison that affects our society. It leads many to do horrible things to one another, and event portrayed in Huck Finn with the duke and king tricking the crowd with their performance. It shows how horrible we act against one another, just because we wish to be in their place.
I agree with your viewpoint and firmly believe that those at the top have earned it and the human drive puts money and happiness as secondary drives, and those that are not lazy are rewarded. However, I do believe that the 1% should also help out the 99%. However, the 1% are also made up of cheaters and swindlers which is why the receive the negative connotation in society.
Hmmm, i would say that i dont like the idea of labeling the group as the 1% per say cause there is a mix of those who did work hard to make their money but yet at the same time there are those, whether they worked to make money or not is irrelevant, who now that they have this money abuse the privileges that come with it. It is this abuse that is hated by the world, and it is the attempts by some of those with money to keep the club exclusive that is hated. However, to blanket all those who have comfortable monetary livings as liars and cheaters is wrong, but it is not like they are all saints, nor are they all devils, but humans like the rest of us some prone to good others not so good.
My “Other” Project focuses mainly on the division of people into social groups based on characteristics that do not define all of a person, such as level of intelligence or physical attributes. We discussed stereotypes and the various ways people either hide behind or fight against them, as well as how the witch-hunts and other such events of the past aren’t so different from the hunt for “Other” in society today. Through analyzing the way stereotypes affect people in society, I have learned to be more appreciative of differences since they are what make us unique and diverse. Every individual is different, and it is wrong to categorize people who seem to suit the role of being “socially unacceptable.” Everyone deserves to be seen for who they truly are, not as something warped to fit the needs of the majority. This was never as clearly expressed to me as through the digital storytelling project, and I have gained a deeper understanding of what it takes to truly know a person.
RAAAJJJII, I think that the most accurate way to judge someone shouldn't be on one thing but one should consider every aspect of a person if they were to judge them. I also think that even if you chose one thing to focus on you would still consider other things no matter what.
I personally believe that the most accurate way to judge an indiviual would be to support you idea, to be able to justify your opinion. Only then can you fully and confidently claim your own opinion to the situation of topic. I think this also goes fo their actions, personality,and friends. Simply judging a person because of what others think of that person, i believe is a bad reason to support your judgement.
I believe that one should learn the other person and see how exactly they act and this should be on the basis of some time because it is important that one make a very good entrance, but sometimes it is also good to be yourself.
In all due respect, there is no way to appropriately "judge" someone. All of our opinions are formed from our surrounding environment. It's all biased. For example, Hitler is considered an evil monster to us because of the ideas jammed into our brains. However, to Germany at the time, he was a hero. There is no way to judge someone accurately because we have know no truth.
The "Other" Project has allowed me to gain a whole new perspective on the marginalized people in society. My group's topic was the 1%. Many people know about the "occupy Wall Street" movement, and how they were like "we are the 99%". I used to think that the other 1%, the rich, were the "bad guys" who didn't pay any taxes and robbed people of their money. After this project, I realized that the 1% are often discriminated against, and thought of as bad people when they had work hard, harder than many others to get where they are.
It made me realize the harshness of the world that we live in. My topic, being immigrants, has allowed me to take in the fact that each and everyone of us are prejudice. No matter what our mentors tell us, these stereotypes get in the way of our judgement. Not only that, but we ourselves are immigrants. We come from various schools taught by different habits and we all unite at Whitney. Through time, we learn to accept each other, but as we travel abroad, we become immigrants again. http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=0Zr_RHmJ1HKCJM:&imgrefurl=http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/tag/undocumented-immigrants/&docid=DURPqbn8jYN3kM&imgurl=http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/immigration.jpg&w=778&h=488&ei=U3nWT5OjIuPS2QWrqMCeDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=490&vpy=198&dur=632&hovh=178&hovw=284&tx=107&ty=62&sig=113946544620007028989&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=182&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:147
My question is: Why can't all "others" be accepted?
I think that all "others" can be accepted because people never stop and think about them. When we used to think about "others" outside of english, we never thought about them for more than a few seconds. And I don't think that everyone is willing to spend more than a few seconds to think about all the "others". Also, some people's personalities don't match with the 'understanding of people'. So I think that it's impossible for EVERYONE to accept all "others".
This project has made me realize that this concept of 'other' isn't just to the obvious ones. There are the others, like the LGBTQ community, or immigrants. I believe that pretty much everyone can be considered "other" in some way or another. It is just based on the point of view one takes. A lot of times, society's stereotypes hinder our own beliefs, and we tend to think of a certain group as the ostracized "other". This project allowed me to see what other people think of when the word other is mentioned to them, not just my view. I automatically think of Lesbians, Gays, Transgenders, and BiSexuals, but others don't. This is a refreshing change of viewpoint.
After reading your response, I realized that there should be no "other" in society; we should all be considered one whole and some just have it worse off than others. In fact, this project affirmed and further marginalized these groups because we are focusing an undesired spotlight on them.
Our group decided to address the issue of transgenders being marginalized. Both figuratively and literally I stepped into the transgendered community's skin. Honestly, it made me realize how the word transgendered doesn't just mean throwing on clothes from the opposite sex and labeling yourself as such. Just putting on baggy clothing and a hat did nothing to change my identity -- because it's impossible to do so. There is so much more to being transgendered that cannot be experienced by just dressing the part around people who already know it's just an act. One of my best friends is a transgendered teenager, which inspired me to create this video on that topic. She had to deal with so much, including the disapproval of parents and kids being jerks to her. It broke my heart to see her go through the things that most people could never even imagine happening to them. I truly feel that this project helped me pay tribute to one of the most brave people in my life.
The concept of the "other" project has allowed me to look at the people groups in the world allowed to me realize that no one will ever be accepted by everyone, and it is up to us to be accepted by those that are close and dear to us. Their is more to being the "other" and the common perception of a lonely or awkward kid being the only "other" is just a small portion of the pie. The various people groups that are also marginalized is great and there is so much hate and racism in the world that nearly every "other" group ends up discriminating against each other. Through doing a project about the hurt of transgenders, I began to realize how there is so much more to a person than just seeing them everyday at school. Today, it is rare to find those special people who you develop meaningful relationships with, and it is hard to find friends that are willing to be real with us and night hide under a mask of security, the mask of "other".
Another way is to stand up for those people because a lot of times, the reason why they are put into the category of that certain "other" group is because they do not have the confidence or mental strength to stand up for themselves.
The funny thing about this other project is that though it teaches us to empathize with these other groups and to learn their situations, we, in many cases, honestly end up just marginalizing them to an even greater degree than we had before, for the issue I see in this is that the definition of the project, "the other" defines any group that we discuss as a group that is discriminated against, but also subconsciously as a group to be discriminated against. Now though i agree that the only way to help reincorporate these so called "others" into acceptable society is to learn about them, in some ways i think we are parading their story much like an animal at the zoo and, honestly, how much do we learn about an animal and its life from the zoo. For that matter, to put these groups on display like animals in the zoo defines them as just that, animals, and though we can sit here and discuss all we want about how much we learned about others in this project and how much we empathize with them, i think we all know that learning about groups that are discriminated against and creating a list of the wrongs done to them is not going to aid in helping to prevent those wrongs in the future. We are not being compassionate, only polite, now who the nicest? We are not being good but well behaved, chasing after death so we can call ourselves brave, at the heart of it still living like mental slaves. We are all other in some way or another, and each and everyone of us hides like a thief at night from life to be accepted in the paradox we know as reality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5dk1P_638s -BlackStar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) Thieves in the Night, a must listen to song that may very well open your eyes to some of the fallacies we take for granted.
Said like the true Al-Rashid. I agree entirely with you on pointing something simple out that everyone has failed to notice. I would like to add that their should be a vehicle to stop oppression of "other" groups. And I literally mean a vehicle like something we do that directly affects the "other"'s lives. We can't just blog and do the project and forget about it. There has to be a lasting effect and an instrument of change.
This actually just took many of the words out of my mouth. Sometimes i sit there and think to myself i know the hardships these people are going through, but do i really know. Are we really as good of a people as we say we are. If you look at it we are only compassionate to a certain extent and many of us with have other things we can sympathize with, but it's just out of our reach. We may think that as a people donating money to collectively as a whole do something good for an less fortunate group make us a truly compassionate people. Not to discourage it though because it does save countless lives, but what are we really doing? We're just putting money in a box and leaving the actual action to someone else. With that sort of attitude, there's only so much stereotype we can rid and only to a certain extent. I think that when we really don't think of an "other" group as an "other" group of people in the first place only then is when we can get rid of stereotype. I'll be honest, i have it too. On this kind of thing i won't be too optimistic because stereotype lives subconsciously in all of us and there's not much we can do to purge ourselves of it because it was unconsciously drilled into all of us through subtle everyday scenes. As though i may have said i empathized in my post below, i believe that it is an extremely hard thing to empathize with an "other" group we weren't a part of in some way and that we were ostracized too. As seeing this is getting long winded i would like to finish up saying what do we really know about these people. Do we really care as much as we think we do? Just a little finishing thought there
Perley, Mohamed, much agreed, the like i said this project honestly just reaffirms the supposed other groups that we are studying, for the mere fact that we are studying these groups as an "other" just makes duly sure that they will remain so in our eyes. Perley, your point on the donation was one example that came to mind and i agree wholly that until the day comes that we do not regard people as other in the first place, discrimination will not end, and i do sadly think you have a point in saying that that day is quite far out of our reach, if we reach it at all.The irony of this project, in my honest opinion, though i respect the idea behind it, is that all we really end up doing is adding more groups to the list of so called others, for by searching for a little recognized other group, or groups, we are not aiding their situation but only really drawing attention to the fact that THEY are other.
Can we ever be sure that our perception of things is right – without consulting other people? If we do consult others, how are we to know whether theirs is true or if we’re both deluded?
We can always tell if something is right or wrong by seeing if that "thing" hurts someone else or disturbs the environment or causes something bad to occur. People have that side of mind where they come to realize what is right.
After doing the other project I have learned man new life lessons and values , but the most important one I'll always respect is the value of freedom. Throughout the world many people have been mistreated or discriminated for numerous reasons making them stripped of their rights. This however doesn't stop the discriminated like the Tibetans to stop fight for freedom. Many of them die just for the awareness of other nations to notice the oppression in Tibet and to gain their deserved rights. These struggles the Tibetans go through make me realize that I have everything and. Should respect all my freedoms now because you never know when they will be taken away.
Discrimination ultimately leads to differences in rules and standards. Therefore, this affects the rights of different people since different rules are set. Truthfully, discrimination is a huge par in stripping away rights/freedoms.
As we go on in our daily lives, we constantly cast people out as "other." This concept of other has become someone with even the slightest difference from you, even going so far as to wearing different clothes. Of course, we also see new people being accepted into our daily lives. This other project has shown me just how an "other" could feel. My topic of teenage drinking has allowed me to see how an other could be led to drinking, or how a teenage drinker becomes an other. To cope with stress, possibly from being cast aside, one begins to drink to somehow relieve the stress. Or, from a different perspective, one who drinks is seen as dirty, vile, and low, and he/she is cast aside. I used to think that this was a whole other world for me, that drinking was only for the dirty and desperate. However, as I progressed through the project, I saw that this world of teenage drinking was very close to me, how stress even from school could cause such a thing. This has allowed to me empathize with these people, to understand how coping with stress is very hard and can perhaps lead to something like this. Also, other marginalized people, perhaps by race, also go through tough times. Everyone goes through stress, and everyone wants a relief of that stress, for the burden to be lifted from their shoulders.
Stress is definitely universal and especially concentrated in some areas, and even in our school, Whitney. But how do we relieve this stress? I think my way is my friends. My friends, those who support me, give me the confidence and will to focus and get through each obstacle one at a time. But if I lose a friend to some reckless act, drinking or teen pregnancy, I lose confidence. They lost faith so why should'nt I? It's like everyone is my role model, influencing me who I should be and act. But if I lose a role model, I lose a sense of where I am.
The digital story-telling of "the Other" has really connected me to the bullied. From time to time I see news on tv about a kid being bullied severely. But I honestly could not believe that people were so mean to beat a person almost to death just for their own personal needs. Also, this project has allowed me to retell the stories of the times I have been bullied throughout my childhood. Before, I did not even think about those times because I just wanted to forget them. But now that I can freely speak about those stories, I realized how much I have developed because of those times I was bullied.
My question is what types of things are restricted if you are bullied?
Our group has decided to focus upon the topic of teen dads. At first, we had initially started out with the topic of teen moms, however media has played such a crucial role in molding this topic to fit their standards, that it has almost been corrupted. On the other hand, the topic of teen dads has also been "played" by media, but these teen fathers really have not properly been able to speak out and openly present their ideas about the issue. Throughout the course of this project, I have really learned how media does play such a crucial role in the way that society sees a group of people, and how the media's opinion affects the majority group of society to in many cases develop a very negative view of this now minority group. By looking depper into the stories of teen parents, i have also realized that in many cases, teen fathers accept the fact that they now have a child to raise, but in some some cases, the mother does not accept the father. In many ways these teens are just like every one of us - going to high school, having dreams and goals they would like to one day achieve, and yes, just like every one of us they do make mistakes. These people should not be marginalized just because there are people out there that don't take the time or effort to see things from their point of view. They deserve to be given the chance to be able to openly explain themselves, and i have learned that everyone deserves the chance to do so. My question is: Why does the majority of society openly accept the ideas that the media presents to them? and if the media began promoting in favor of teen dads, how would the mojority of society react?
I think it would affect the younger generation's view of teen dads, only because the media basically controls what goes on in our everyday lives. If there's something "cool" going on on twitter, you'll see it all around school and it just adds to your point about what a big deal media plays and it affects a lot of people's everyday lives. :(
My group's project was on the topic of discrimination against transgenders. Although transgenders seems like an obvious topic there is much more to the life of a transgender than cross-dressing and transsexualism like most people think. through-out our project I realize that transgenders have to hide who they truly because of the treatment they receive from people. Transgenderism threatens society like all the other imperfections of human beings, but transgenderism also affects some peoples moral values or religious values which makes it very hard for people to accept it. However I believe that if the minority is strong enough, it eventually changes the way society perceives it. THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTION: How do the minorities of our society affect our overall global culture????????????
I find it amazing how miniorities and how we treat minorities really define us. Culturally, minorities are like feature on your face. If you take them away, you look just like every one else: there's a face with two eyes, a nose, a mouth. But the minorities are freckles, crooked smile, chinky eyes. They differenciate us, define us. Personally, how we treat these minorities is shows how we act. How we view transgenders, teen parents, and gay people show how we respect others and ourselves.
I love minorities in our society because they bring so many new aspects to our culture and lives. These people have something different about them, and when they bring that to our lives, it changes ours too. I think it would be nice to be a minority because many people would treasure you because you're different. Some people who are the majority just blend in, and often overlooked.
Minorities in our societies define themselves and also define us. if it werent for them we couldnt call ourselves what we are as we would all be the same. we shouldnt judge these people just because they are different from us. in a cultural view they are what makes us all unique and what brings us together closer to similar people. they are what brings bonds together. its kind of ironic how the different and other people are actually bringing us closer in society
My question is: If people look down on something (like our group's topic: teen pregnancy) what's going on that's encouraging that something (in my group's case :teen pregnancy)
This question isn't the easiest to answer since it deals with the human mind quite a bit. There can't be only one thing that is "encouraging" it. In fact it doesn't even have to be encouragement. There are people who do things for the sake of it and their only driving factor might be ignorance. They could also think they're different themselves and wholeheartedly believe that it is because they are with their partner that they can do anything and overcome any hardships. Not to discourage any romanticism, but at such an early age handling a baby might just be too much for anyone. If you think about it, not to be insensitive or anything, but once you have the baby you hinder what you can do in life and that's that. Nothing much you can do about it. Though i wouldn't know the first thing about it and i can only sympathize. As for the encouraging factor, we could go into all sorts of reasons, but one can only infer what another person is thinking.
The "Other" project allowed me to see how it is like for the marginalized people of society. I never knew what that had to go through until this project made me look into how they live and what other people think of them. It also changed my view on marginalized people because before I used to be one of the people that marginalizes them, but now I know what they may be going through and I want to help them.
My "other" project topic was bullying. I had always seen and heard so many incidents of bullying, but I never did anything to prevent it. I thought that if I did, the people around me would say stuff about me too. However, I was able to find out that I wasn't the only one with this problem. So, I decided to stand up and help them. Sometimes, bullied people keep it to themselves and not tell anybody because they may fear that if the bullies are caught they would hurt them even more. MY QUESTION: How would school life or life in general be without bullies?
School life would probably be like Whitney! Without bullies, everyone at school would not only be one big, happy family, but the environment would be much safer and much more lively.
If i look back and think about it i was able to empathize with my group of "other", but i believe that only because it was one of the few topics i could actually empathize with. You see other people's situations and think to yourself, "they are really being treated unfairly" or something along those lines, but that just scratches the border. It's a form of sympathizing and acknowledging that they're in a bad position, but what now. You don't do much and go back to your daily lives. The thin line between sympathy and empathy is not what it seems. If you look down into it you can see a trench and what that line actually means. Our topic pretty much took a look at the "hoods" or the different other groups that fall under a certain hood. How these people with hoods were taken to be ostracized from the outside, but inside their hood it was more like a solitary sanctuary. Solitude from the outside world, but a sanctuary within. The step that really took me to empathize with all of this was the connection to our own Whitney High School. Since we are a group of intellectuals, but in that in a selective school of individuals we are in our own isolation. From the outside, some may look upon us as different for our intellect. Though the same goes for the other side of the story because within ourselves we are a celebrated group of individuals where our intelligence is met with open arms. Where we have a place to ourselves to show what we can do and how far our potential will take us. In this case different may mean just that much more. Taking a look at what people consider as "different" or "other" let's us see who the other actually is for themselves. Obviously we can't know them personally, but we can infer from things like this that not all people associated with a hood are bad. It is just a common stereotype. We see people like Trayvon Martin on the news and think to ourselves how bad that could be. Shooting a kid for just wearing a hood, but would we have thought much different on a daily basis. We probably wouldn't have shot at him, but wouldn't we judge him subconsciously and think "oh, its a black guy walking down the street with a hood on, seems suspicious". Then with our baseless stereotype we continue with our everyday lives. My whole point was, until you take an "other" group and put it into context with something is directly connected to you, you won't empathize and the "other project has made me realize this.
I couldnt have said it better myself. WE categorize people as other for a myriad reasons, its an interesting phenomenon for even the most intelligent and informed in the world that know in their brains that discrimination by pigmentation is only a figment of our imagination, even we still discriminate and we may not even know it. And i can't agree more that the only true way to defeat that mentality of categorizing people as other is to connect them to you, thus making them similar to you and not "Other," Something i think our group did beautifully, and i think it really rocked our perspective on the world we share
The "Others" project helped me have a clearer view of the world. I think that this experience and research on the subject immigration made me realize that we're lucky to be the ones that aren't treated unfairly. I believe that in our generation, we have the ability to spread the word. We have the power to influence others. We should do this by using any type of social network or media to inform others about this information, so they can make a change as we have done our part in ours.
My question to you is: How should illegal immigrants be treated? Should they be considered our friend or as an outsider?
they should be treated as friends because illegal immigrants are just people who want to start a new life and support their family. But instead of sending them back, we should help them become legal immigrants.
Our "other" project was based upon the people of Tibet and their everyday struggles that we don't understand. As Americans, we come with baggage (intellectual baggage) when we travel to other countries expecting everyone to live up to our expectations. Most people of other countries have their own baggage about "stereotypical" Americans in their respective countries. Now, the people in Tibet have in constant crisis over the various wars between India and China. Using Gandhi's memento of peaceful yet meaningful protest, the Buddhist monks have resolved to set themselves on fire as a type of protest. The "other" project in general has allowed us to understand all sides of the story not just the too most important sides. I would say every story has three dimensions defined by the protagonist, the antagonist, and a neutral party that watches the plot take place.
The reason this "other" project is really interesting is that..I was sort of one of those who marginalized teen dads (my topic). Sadly, I was one of those who looked down on/was indifferent to teen parents. I thought the typical: the guy pressured the girl, these teens threw their lifes away for the heck of it, most teen dads will leave voluntarily. But this project has caused me to open my eyes to a different point of view in which these are all just assumptions and misconceptions.This new view has caused me to sympathize with these teen dads. They are absolutely not given the necessary encouragement to raise a child. Instead, they are treated with endless negativity, which is a major factor of forcing teen dads to leave. And why are the girls given less of the blame? Why are they seen as vulnerable and taken advantage of? Without these influences and ideologies of society, essentially, both parents would be equally blamed for their recklessness. But to all those reading this: why are women automatically protected? Where in society was this rule set?
These other groups as i have said before are only like this because we make them out to be "other". It means that in some point in time that we probably believed this to an extent. After we finish this other project, what are we really going to do. Go on our merry way with our normal lives never thinking about this again? What are we really doing besides telling you are about these people, why they are ostracized, and why not to marginalize them. Most of this stuff is as clear as day and night to most of us, yet what do we do? We sit back and let others do the work for us. My question pretty much is: How much more do we really care about these people? What are we really doing besides telling you more about these people? How many of us truly empathized with the homeless man on the sofa besides himself? I mean, you don't see us all inspired to go help the homeless now because of that video. Don't get me wrong because it was touching and i could sympathize, but i can't promise i did too much more from the sole fact i was never homeless before.
No this is true, for this was a project that purely off of its design generates sympathy, but not empathy, and only with the latter can action be taken and a change be made, its a fine line which really involves only changing and SY to an E, but those few letters make all the difference in the world. When we watch these movies we will be touched, we will sympathize, but unless it hits right close to home, we will not empathize, and thus it will make no lasting reaction, only a 3-4 minute feeling of pity that if anything only degrades the honor of the people having to live in these situations
Our "other" project was about the way immigrants are treated. These immigrants are treated differently because of the way they act, their accents, and there traditions. Immigrants is a very general word that is used to categorize any person/people coming from one place to another. For example, people that come from different elementary schools to Whitney, Carmenita, etc. People that dont seem to fit in are singled out, and groups are formed. I learned that this is a major problem in the world and in the United States. Immigrants shouldnt be treated differently and judged just because they act different from us, an immigrant is still a person, and every person should be treated with equal respect.
Question: If everyone stayed in one country and no one immigrated, how would the world be a different place?
Answer: This exciting experience of creating an "other" project has given me the opportunity to create personal opinions. Basing my digital media story off of such a controversial topic, the 1%, and taking their side, has allowed me to realize how the media often marginalizes certain groups and influences society to do the same. The 1% is targeted for their success by being drowned by the government in laws and regulations and protested against by raging, irrational people. These leaders have received such a negative connotation, when in reality, the 99% are simply envious individuals in search of a scapegoat. Before completing this medium, my ignorance of the topic led me to believe in the will of the 99%. The rich are corrupt and sinful. However, the wealthy are where they are today because of their hard work, dedication, and drive. All in all, this project has allowed me to conjure up opinions for myself by evaluating the facts, rather than an outside influence pressuring my thoughts.
The "other" project really helped broaden my mind because it helped me understand teenage alcoholics and drug addicts. I never really gave them much thought except that they made bad decisions. But actually, many of those teenagers suffer through really heavy stress, which causes them to turn to drugs and alcohol. It's not entirely their fault that they took drugs and alcohol. Maybe no one taught them how to positively deal with overwhelming stress. Also, they might have tried other stress releasing methods, but eventually turned to drugs and alcohol when none of those worked. People always look down on these teenagers because they think that these teenagers only chose to do drugs and alcohol because they want to look cool or other reasons that relate to the teenagers' pride. Even I sometimes look down on teenage drug addicts and alcoholics because I thought it was stupid to use drugs and alcohol to look cool or fit in. No one really spends more than a few seconds to think about these teenagers' reasons for drug and alcohol abuse. But, if people actually stop and think about it, they would begin to understand why teenagers choose these drugs and alcohol to relieve stress. But, I want to know, if there's a teenager who succumbs to peer pressure to use drugs or alcohol by his/her friends, whose fault is that? Is it the teenager's fault because he/she gave in? Or is it his/her friends fault for pressuring him/her into doing drugs and alcohol?
The "other" project allowed me to see different aspects of different lives that I never came in contact with. At Whitney, bullying isn't common or even seen. Therefore, researching information on bullies and just seeing the affects of bullying through images has allowed me to see the lives of the weak and unprotected. Like Atticus said, it is impossible to truly understand someone without walking in "his or her skin." This is exactly what I tried to accomplish. Also, I learned that many people are trying to take a stand against bullying. The "other" project allowed me to get in contact with others that want to end this violence. However, most of all, I learned that bullying is connected to everyone and that it is everywhere.
Why are the bullied often considered unprotected? Why do we need to take a stand?
The "other" project showed me the different points of view that people. I know know the different marginalized people in the world and how they are outcasted and treated from society. My other were teenage drug users and how the majority of them use these drugs to cope with the stress they face in life. it is not their fault that they fall into the trap as they themselves need help to get out. The overwhelming pressure given by their peers, parents and by themselves pushes them to strive even harder which causes them to break. i know see why the real reason these people abuse these drugs as they cannot even quit and dont want to as the drug is the only thing keeping them "alive". This project has allowed me to see the marginalized in theo world and to respect more of the people that are in society. Just because we see them in real life is completely different than living with them, so we have no right to jusge them. How do you think drug abuse from a close relative affects a child physically and mentally?
The digital storytelling project helped me connect to the “others” who are being marginalized in novels and in society. During this project I started to see what life was like in their shoes. For example, my group’s “other” topic is Teenage Dads, and throughout the project, we really developed an understanding for them. Usually, the media focuses on teen mothers instead of fathers, and the fathers are blamed and seemed to be at fault. People often don’t think about their side or their point of view because they sympathize for the pregnant teenage girl. As we have worked on this project, I stepped into the teen dad’s shoes and watched life move on. I realized that these people are just like us and that they shouldn’t be marginalized just because some people don’t take the time to see things from their point of view. As I was reading some interviews online, I saw that these teen dads don’t always want to leave their child behind but must because of the mother’s orders.
ReplyDeleteThank You
It’s pretty sad to hear that teenage dads often have to take the blame for unplanned pregnancy when both parents are equally responsible. Most people sympathize with the girl since she seems to be an innocent victim, but the truth is that the girl has also made a bad choice. It’s wrong of our society to treat teenage dads as the scapegoat for something they weren’t totally guilty of.
DeleteTeen Dads are misunderstood too. However, I disagree with Raji. It is the move of the male that causes the pregnancy. If the dad knew the consequences, he would choose not to impregnate her.
DeleteSorry Daphne, but I'll have to disagree with you on that. It is true that, technically, it is the father's move in impregnating a woman, but, unless its rape, both parents are at fault for poor judgement.
DeleteId like to interject that, in the case of unprotected sex, it is equally placed on both the boy and girl. If contraception failed, it is neither parents fault. So, with both situations, it would be unfair for the "blame", or whatever one wants to call it, to be placed upon a single parent. God forbid any parent, planned or unplanned, tries to use the blame game to get out of being responsible for the child....
DeleteI agree with Nick in the sense that it is the fault of both teen parents, because they both agreed to have sex knowing the risks and consequences that followed. It is the teen dad's fault for impregnating the mother, and it is the mother's fault for no objection and agreeing to this. It is unfair for any one of the parents to be blamed, so they both should bear the burden
DeleteI also agree with Don and Nick, the dad is always blamed for the pregnancy but the guilt is equal between both parents. Also the fact that teen dads are being marginalized at the same time that teen moms are, it shows that anyone could be discriminated against because of any reason.
DeleteThe digital storytelling of the "Other" project has made me realize that everyone can be subject to marginalization. Usually, it would seem like a less powerful or affluent group of people would be seen as the "other" group, yet, paradoxically, even the wealthiest can be despised just for being different. This has caused me to reflect upon a facet of human nature, as we treat our fellow beings who are different from us almost as if they are not humans like each an every one of us. Extreme examples would be like apartheid, where one could say that the whites had a fear of embracing a new, foreign people and thus treated them as sub-humans. This project has allowed me to feel empathy or connected to those who are punished and have their rights infringed upon for foolish or illogical reasons. I too connect with marginalized people because they must suffer the consequences of someone's irrational beliefs, just as certain administration "marginalizes" the 1% of Whs, restricting them and encroaching upon the liberty of the people in a watered down form. However, I have also come to an understanding that we as people should not frown upon marginalization, as it does, in moderate amounts, keep things in balance and gives the people the liberty to do as they feel and speak as they feel, even if it may be "discrimination."
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thought that even the wealthiest and most "well-off" people are marginalized. I believe that every person can be considered as marginalized no matter how "superior" they seem.
DeleteMy question is: do some people deaerve to be marginalized?
DeleteThe "other" project made me realize that people are being marginalized for anything. Whether it's race, appearance, background, or family, every person is being marginalized because society has become a segregating factor in everybody's life. This project helped me empathize with the marginalized as I related the topic with our school. Even though our school isn't very diverse, everybody is marginalized because everybody is unique. This project also allowed me to embrace my differences as I found that each and every person has a specific trait that they hold.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Differences are something special and unique to all of us that should bring people together rather than drive them apart. Despite what we may look like or what our abilities are, everything comes down to the fact that we are all people who just want acceptance in our society, from our peers and our family. In that respect, we are all one and the same.
DeleteMy question: When you say "we are all one and the same" how does this differentiate from the conformity between others?
DeleteI agree with both Raji and Athena. We are they way we are with our special or unique personalities or talents. This is what makes us different from one another, we don't always have to do what everyone else is doing.
DeleteIt shows that we are all humans but have our differences
DeleteThe "Other" project has helped to show me that everything in the world should be looked upon, rather than ignoring the issue because that issue does not relate with one's country. My group's topic (on the Tibetans) was about a group of normal people who were marginalized by the Chinese due to the fact that the Chinese were constantly taking their land away. This led for them to have self-immolation acts, but much of the world does not see what happens in other parts of the world. This can relate to us someway or another at school because there are usually two groups at school, one being the cool one, while the other one is full of nerds. The nerds, being weak, but stronger in intellect, can easily be bullied by the cooler ones. This relates because the cooler ones are the Chinese, where the more lame ones are the Tibetans. This can be related to the old lady on Elm Street in Fahrenheit 451, because she lit herself on fire after she was caught having a pure form of intellectualism, something that the government was against. She was just like the monks that lit themselves on fire to help show that they will never stop to ever get the freedom that they deserve.
ReplyDeleteRohun,
DeleteThat was a very... interesting analogy, but creative nonetheless. Though I feel that the comparison to the Tibetan monks and the old woman on elm street is spot on. They both set themselves aflame (which isn't at all a quick, painless death) and died for what they believed in. They are the martyrs that sacrificed themselves in order to bring their issues to light so that the world can be made a better place.
I believe that the Tibetans have the right to their own individuality and that this does not relate to intellect and "coolness". However, the Chinese are much more technologically advanced than the Tibetans and have more intellect, although much of their things is censored. I believe the problem here deals with human rights and also individuality, so I agree partially with your post.
DeleteQuestion: Do you walk away if someone was getting beat up in front of you who was twice as strong as you? (Be realistic cuz I would walk away)
Delete[im]http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1279&bih=614&tbm=isch&tbnid=L93pSUlgy2JFlM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20120326/tibetan-self-immolation-protest-120326/&docid=kiKURNgDsgNtZM&imgurl=http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20120326/800_tibetan_monk_fire_ap_12.jpg&w=800&h=449&ei=KMfWT7nBPM6J2AX5hoCnDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=89&vpy=302&dur=2012&hovh=168&hovw=300&tx=196&ty=89&sig=100141925864140038091&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=89&tbnw=158&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:92[/im]
If someone who was getting beat up in front of me by a person who was twice as strong as me, I wouldn't walk away. However, I wouldn't try to solve the problem myself either. Instead, I would go to an older adult to help in this problem.
DeleteMy groups "Other", about marginalized Tibetan monks and the Dalai Lama, is was a great way to become more informed on the subject. I sympathize and empathize for their hardships. These are people also, and they deserve our respect and acknowledgement. Most of them live their religion, never hurting others and only alive to bring balance to their world, yet they have less than us, who skim along the edges of our religions and rarely care for the world around us. The Tibetans emphasize perseverance and self discovery, for although they are oppressed by the Chinese and their culture clashes with that of the Indians, they survive. Tibet has always been an independent country and was never part of China. Under international law, the Chinese occupation is illegal yet no "major" country speaks up for the Tibetans. Why not? Is it because they are a nonviolent people - is it because they don't resort to violence and terroristic actions - is it because they don't blow up the Chinese citizens? Since when did being peaceful become a handicap to get the world's attention? We criticize other terrorist groups around the world for resorting to violence and lecture them about using peace to achieve their goals - YET here we have people who've steadfastly stuck to nonviolence and righteousness and the "major powers" don't care. Where's the morality in all of this. Where's the talk of human rights that we preach? How hypocritical does the West sound when they lecture about human rights when they ignore the plight of Tibetans. All of this destroys Tibet's cultural identity, suppresses its religious uniqueness. We need to listen to our own sermons on humanity. Follow the morals we impose on others.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I wasn't expecting this as an ''other''. That just goes to show how differently people can think when given the same idea to work with. When you think about it, pretty much all "others" are discriminated based on something that they cannot control, whether it be their beliefs of nonviolence, or their looks. All others can unite on that one fact.
DeleteNick I agree with you wholeheartedly, it is a hypocrisy that should not be allowed to stand any longer, and yet it does. It seems to often in this world that human rights are arbitrarily distributed to those that some group decides deserves them, does that make those that are not given this rights somehow not human? or is it because they are regarded as less human that they are not given their rights?
DeleteNick and Kiyaan, I completely agree with your points. How hypocritical it is to lecture about human rights to terrorist groups and not speak up for the Tibetan monks when there is clearly a violation of human rights. It seems like the human rights only extend to those that deserves them, as Kiyaan said.
DeleteI think the digital storytelling project really forced all of us to think about marginalized people who can't just go around doing their everyday routine without receiving snickers or weird looks from people all around them. My group first chose to do teen moms because many of them are looked down on. However, we decided to go with something less obvious, like the teen dads because even though the mother is blamed at first, at the end of the day the blame goes to the father. I never really used to think about this stuff but when we first started the teen dads project I kind of believed that they wanted to walk out on the mothers because my judgement was influenced by all the media that focuses on the teen mom and that pushes the teen dads out the door. However, as i started reading about real teen dads' experiences, I realized that they are just like the mothers. They had dreams and passions, and most of them are willing to stay and give up those dreams for their child but sometimes they're pressured out of it. I think it's really unfair that the teen dads are given all the blame, and that people just assume things, because whether they had any business in it or not, their snickers and weird looks do hurt, and no one knows what really happened. The dad could have been pressured by the mother, or by his friends, but people just don't want to give him a chance. I really hope that our video can portray a message that will change everyone's judgement the next time they hear about a teen dad or see one or anything like that. And I'm not saying to give sympathy,I'm saying to give him empathy by not being too quick to judge him.
ReplyDeleteIf society were to think a little bit more of the situation of the dad, do you really think that would change their overall opinion of that individual? I persoanlly believe that change would only be brought about once these teen dads begin pushing for more acceptance in society regarding their curretn situation.
DeleteI think if people as individuals looked more into the situation, they'd see a change, but they wouldn't stand up for it because it seems as if in today's society, you need backup when you believe in something, you can;t just say it out loud. For example, when we were doing our research, out of 10 articles, only ONE article was about how society doesn't look at teen dads properly.
DeleteOur group's topic for the "other" project is immigration. It has showed me that immigrants aren't always from another country. They can be students in a new school, families moving to a new home, or adults going to a new workplace. It has allowed me to see how immigrants are treated, and how they go about everyday life. Most people may assume that immigrants are treated like everyone else, but they aren't. Often times, they have accents, or act different ways because of their cultural differences. I can think of numerous times where I've asked my parents why a person in public was acting a certain way, and they said it probably had to do with their culture. Many people realize these differences, and judge people because they don't act the same. We should not be quick to judge people that we don't even know, because it's unfair to label someone who you've never met. In addition, many people enjoy imitating or making fun of accents or ways that people speak. I think this is rude, and can be very offensive to people who may speak that way. They may be hurt when they hear this. Immigrants should be treated fairly, because they aren't very different from anyone else.
ReplyDeletei believe people do this because they are contributed by a factor of the unknown and it is only human nature to react hostile to people or things they are unfamiliar with. They attack to protect there stereotypical beliefs and to prevent an understanding that these people are similar to them. they don't want to realize that they were wrong. It is an act that is unfair toward all affected. By acting in a hateful manner they hurt all, the person themselves and those around them, instead of a friend they have made and enemy.
Deletei agree that immigrants aren't different. They are just misunderstood. The treatment they get is unfair because of their way of life. We should learn to accept others!
DeleteI agree with Katy that cultural differences can hurt someones's perception of an other, but am more inclined to agree with Alan that we judge and become hostile in order to appease our own inhibitions about our actions, we try to justify ourselves by saying others are wrong, or weird. As humans, it is against our nature to be wrong. For example, almost all of us hold on to our belief that we are right, even after we are corrected or told to apologize. (i don't mean small matters like spelling) Being an immigrant to the school, I can truthfully say that I have a hard time relating to a lot of my peers. I find it easier to talk to a junior or senior, that I've known through my sister, than to talk to a fellow freshman. This awkward stage will pass, i hope, but also proves how being new or different can be difficult and sometimes scary.
DeleteI agree with you Katy. I think our cultural background makes us individuals unique and gives us a sense of who we are. When people make fun of immigrants because they do things differently or when people just do things differently in general...it is looked at as weird, or strange. I honestly think that this sort of response makes people not want to share their cultural background...or restrict themselves of doing things differently. Tolerance is key here.
DeleteMy group's topic for the "other" project is bullying. From hearing personal experiences from my fellow group members and friends and family, it really opened my eyes on how bullying is such a big problem in today's society. People are marginalized everyday by their race, exterior looks, religion, etc. For example: In school, everyone know the "other(s)" of the grade. From cyber bullying to indirect bullying to verbal bullying, these students are treated as the lower level. But most of us just watch and don't do anything. Doing this project has really portrayed that you should fight for what is right, even though it might not be popular.
ReplyDeleteI can empathize with people who are bullied because I have and probably us all have been bullied in one form or another. We simply fail to act upon it because of fear of being bullied. It is a cruel and unreasonable not to act, but it is this fear that overcomes our moral compass. I believe that we as a society must learn to overcome our fear and step up to bullies, this way the rest can follow. We need to break the slim glass foundation that holds bullies up.
Deletebullying is a very broad area, and it's good that you are zeroing in on a certain type of bullying. Everyone has gotten bullied during their life; whether it be about their size, their intelligence, or their physical abilities. I agree with your ideas that this project has opened our eyes to more types of bullying.
DeleteWhile doing the "other" project, I too have been exposed to such discrimination. This project helped me understand and accept that everybody is somewhat being marginalized for being who they truly are.
DeleteAgreed. Bullying is something that many people touch base upon, however that is something that only the "1%" get. These people, being the 1 %, are the ones that will change how society will end up treating these kind of people
DeleteI agree with your Kimberly! I'm sure we have all had times when we have seen these things happen and not do anything about it. So, we should all take a stand and help! :DD
DeleteBullying is basically the base for marginalization. I agree that everyone has been bullied, for either being different, weird, or not smart, etc... It is also scary because sometimes bullying happens indirectly and bullies blackmail the victim. Bullying, in whatever form it may be, is not right and should be taken care of. It makes me sad to think about this because my cousin knows someone who committed suicide because of this....
DeleteWell you have to consider the myriad of reasons people are marginalized. When is it acc?eptable and when is it not
DeleteOur groups topic for the other project is the 1%. Its really opened my eyes to this entire occupy movement. I always viewed the rich as spoiled and cheap not earning their money but inheriting it. After reading about so many life stories on how these 1% got their money, its turned me against the occupy movement. Its opened my eyes to realize how grossly unfair it is to punish a minority just because they had the assertiveness to take on projects that many believed were not achievable. It seems unfair that we should punish our nations richest men and women just because 99% of people aren't as well off. I can empathize with the 1% and realize how much hard work they put in to keep there companies running. As a nation were creativity is smiled upon, we have no right to punish those who actually use it. http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPo3g9VPXFMALs6JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dhard%2Bwork%2527%26fr%3Dchr-greentree_gc%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D1&w=1024&h=768&imgurl=www.eagleonline.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fhard-work.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eagleonline.com%2Fsales-success-through-goals%2F&size=470.4+KB&name=hard+work&p=hard+work%27&oid=5a18f4831ebf458ad10ce35deafa887a&fr2=&fr=chr-greentree_gc&tt=hard%2Bwork&b=0&ni=112&no=1&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11nvhhhl5&sigb=13hiospqu&sigi=11k780su3&.crumb=GkOx.fi6vTR
ReplyDeleteTo add the marginalization of the 1% is due to a large part by jealousy. Jealousy is a poison that affects our society. It leads many to do horrible things to one another, and event portrayed in Huck Finn with the duke and king tricking the crowd with their performance. It shows how horrible we act against one another, just because we wish to be in their place.
DeleteI agree with your viewpoint and firmly believe that those at the top have earned it and the human drive puts money and happiness as secondary drives, and those that are not lazy are rewarded. However, I do believe that the 1% should also help out the 99%. However, the 1% are also made up of cheaters and swindlers which is why the receive the negative connotation in society.
DeleteHmmm, i would say that i dont like the idea of labeling the group as the 1% per say cause there is a mix of those who did work hard to make their money but yet at the same time there are those, whether they worked to make money or not is irrelevant, who now that they have this money abuse the privileges that come with it. It is this abuse that is hated by the world, and it is the attempts by some of those with money to keep the club exclusive that is hated. However, to blanket all those who have comfortable monetary livings as liars and cheaters is wrong, but it is not like they are all saints, nor are they all devils, but humans like the rest of us some prone to good others not so good.
DeleteMy question to you is: How many things have you believed in then after studying it realized that you were mistaken?
ReplyDeleteMy “Other” Project focuses mainly on the division of people into social groups based on characteristics that do not define all of a person, such as level of intelligence or physical attributes. We discussed stereotypes and the various ways people either hide behind or fight against them, as well as how the witch-hunts and other such events of the past aren’t so different from the hunt for “Other” in society today. Through analyzing the way stereotypes affect people in society, I have learned to be more appreciative of differences since they are what make us unique and diverse. Every individual is different, and it is wrong to categorize people who seem to suit the role of being “socially unacceptable.” Everyone deserves to be seen for who they truly are, not as something warped to fit the needs of the majority. This was never as clearly expressed to me as through the digital storytelling project, and I have gained a deeper understanding of what it takes to truly know a person.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: What do you think is the most accurate way to judge a person? Their actions? Their personality? Their friends?
DeleteRAAAJJJII, I think that the most accurate way to judge someone shouldn't be on one thing but one should consider every aspect of a person if they were to judge them. I also think that even if you chose one thing to focus on you would still consider other things no matter what.
DeleteI personally believe that the most accurate way to judge an indiviual would be to support you idea, to be able to justify your opinion. Only then can you fully and confidently claim your own opinion to the situation of topic. I think this also goes fo their actions, personality,and friends. Simply judging a person because of what others think of that person, i believe is a bad reason to support your judgement.
DeleteI believe that one should learn the other person and see how exactly they act and this should be on the basis of some time because it is important that one make a very good entrance, but sometimes it is also good to be yourself.
DeleteIn all due respect, there is no way to appropriately "judge" someone. All of our opinions are formed from our surrounding environment. It's all biased. For example, Hitler is considered an evil monster to us because of the ideas jammed into our brains. However, to Germany at the time, he was a hero. There is no way to judge someone accurately because we have know no truth.
DeleteThe "Other" Project has allowed me to gain a whole new perspective on the marginalized people in society. My group's topic was the 1%. Many people know about the "occupy Wall Street" movement, and how they were like "we are the 99%". I used to think that the other 1%, the rich, were the "bad guys" who didn't pay any taxes and robbed people of their money. After this project, I realized that the 1% are often discriminated against, and thought of as bad people when they had work hard, harder than many others to get where they are.
ReplyDeleteIt made me realize the harshness of the world that we live in. My topic, being immigrants, has allowed me to take in the fact that each and everyone of us are prejudice. No matter what our mentors tell us, these stereotypes get in the way of our judgement. Not only that, but we ourselves are immigrants. We come from various schools taught by different habits and we all unite at Whitney. Through time, we learn to accept each other, but as we travel abroad, we become immigrants again.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=667&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=0Zr_RHmJ1HKCJM:&imgrefurl=http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/tag/undocumented-immigrants/&docid=DURPqbn8jYN3kM&imgurl=http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/immigration.jpg&w=778&h=488&ei=U3nWT5OjIuPS2QWrqMCeDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=490&vpy=198&dur=632&hovh=178&hovw=284&tx=107&ty=62&sig=113946544620007028989&page=1&tbnh=114&tbnw=182&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:147
My question is: Why can't all "others" be accepted?
I think that all "others" can be accepted because people never stop and think about them. When we used to think about "others" outside of english, we never thought about them for more than a few seconds. And I don't think that everyone is willing to spend more than a few seconds to think about all the "others". Also, some people's personalities don't match with the 'understanding of people'. So I think that it's impossible for EVERYONE to accept all "others".
DeleteThis project has made me realize that this concept of 'other' isn't just to the obvious ones. There are the others, like the LGBTQ community, or immigrants. I believe that pretty much everyone can be considered "other" in some way or another. It is just based on the point of view one takes. A lot of times, society's stereotypes hinder our own beliefs, and we tend to think of a certain group as the ostracized "other". This project allowed me to see what other people think of when the word other is mentioned to them, not just my view. I automatically think of Lesbians, Gays, Transgenders, and BiSexuals, but others don't. This is a refreshing change of viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your response, I realized that there should be no "other" in society; we should all be considered one whole and some just have it worse off than others. In fact, this project affirmed and further marginalized these groups because we are focusing an undesired spotlight on them.
DeleteOur group decided to address the issue of transgenders being marginalized. Both figuratively and literally I stepped into the transgendered community's skin. Honestly, it made me realize how the word transgendered doesn't just mean throwing on clothes from the opposite sex and labeling yourself as such. Just putting on baggy clothing and a hat did nothing to change my identity -- because it's impossible to do so. There is so much more to being transgendered that cannot be experienced by just dressing the part around people who already know it's just an act. One of my best friends is a transgendered teenager, which inspired me to create this video on that topic. She had to deal with so much, including the disapproval of parents and kids being jerks to her. It broke my heart to see her go through the things that most people could never even imagine happening to them. I truly feel that this project helped me pay tribute to one of the most brave people in my life.
ReplyDeleteMy question to you "outliers": What inspired your group to pick the topic that you did?
DeleteThe concept of the "other" project has allowed me to look at the people groups in the world allowed to me realize that no one will ever be accepted by everyone, and it is up to us to be accepted by those that are close and dear to us. Their is more to being the "other" and the common perception of a lonely or awkward kid being the only "other" is just a small portion of the pie. The various people groups that are also marginalized is great and there is so much hate and racism in the world that nearly every "other" group ends up discriminating against each other. Through doing a project about the hurt of transgenders, I began to realize how there is so much more to a person than just seeing them everyday at school. Today, it is rare to find those special people who you develop meaningful relationships with, and it is hard to find friends that are willing to be real with us and night hide under a mask of security, the mask of "other".
ReplyDeleteMy question is: How can we promote the well being of all the different "other" groups in this world?
DeleteThe only way is to treat everyone the same no one can have a greater value than the other
DeleteAnother way is to stand up for those people because a lot of times, the reason why they are put into the category of that certain "other" group is because they do not have the confidence or mental strength to stand up for themselves.
DeleteThe funny thing about this other project is that though it teaches us to empathize with these other groups and to learn their situations, we, in many cases, honestly end up just marginalizing them to an even greater degree than we had before, for the issue I see in this is that the definition of the project, "the other" defines any group that we discuss as a group that is discriminated against, but also subconsciously as a group to be discriminated against. Now though i agree that the only way to help reincorporate these so called "others" into acceptable society is to learn about them, in some ways i think we are parading their story much like an animal at the zoo and, honestly, how much do we learn about an animal and its life from the zoo. For that matter, to put these groups on display like animals in the zoo defines them as just that, animals, and though we can sit here and discuss all we want about how much we learned about others in this project and how much we empathize with them, i think we all know that learning about groups that are discriminated against and creating a list of the wrongs done to them is not going to aid in helping to prevent those wrongs in the future. We are not being compassionate, only polite, now who the nicest? We are not being good but well behaved, chasing after death so we can call ourselves brave, at the heart of it still living like mental slaves. We are all other in some way or another, and each and everyone of us hides like a thief at night from life to be accepted in the paradox we know as reality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5dk1P_638s -BlackStar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) Thieves in the Night, a must listen to song that may very well open your eyes to some of the fallacies we take for granted.
ReplyDeleteSaid like the true Al-Rashid. I agree entirely with you on pointing something simple out that everyone has failed to notice. I would like to add that their should be a vehicle to stop oppression of "other" groups. And I literally mean a vehicle like something we do that directly affects the "other"'s lives. We can't just blog and do the project and forget about it. There has to be a lasting effect and an instrument of change.
DeleteThis actually just took many of the words out of my mouth. Sometimes i sit there and think to myself i know the hardships these people are going through, but do i really know. Are we really as good of a people as we say we are. If you look at it we are only compassionate to a certain extent and many of us with have other things we can sympathize with, but it's just out of our reach. We may think that as a people donating money to collectively as a whole do something good for an less fortunate group make us a truly compassionate people. Not to discourage it though because it does save countless lives, but what are we really doing? We're just putting money in a box and leaving the actual action to someone else. With that sort of attitude, there's only so much stereotype we can rid and only to a certain extent. I think that when we really don't think of an "other" group as an "other" group of people in the first place only then is when we can get rid of stereotype. I'll be honest, i have it too. On this kind of thing i won't be too optimistic because stereotype lives subconsciously in all of us and there's not much we can do to purge ourselves of it because it was unconsciously drilled into all of us through subtle everyday scenes. As though i may have said i empathized in my post below, i believe that it is an extremely hard thing to empathize with an "other" group we weren't a part of in some way and that we were ostracized too. As seeing this is getting long winded i would like to finish up saying what do we really know about these people. Do we really care as much as we think we do? Just a little finishing thought there
DeletePerley, Mohamed, much agreed, the like i said this project honestly just reaffirms the supposed other groups that we are studying, for the mere fact that we are studying these groups as an "other" just makes duly sure that they will remain so in our eyes. Perley, your point on the donation was one example that came to mind and i agree wholly that until the day comes that we do not regard people as other in the first place, discrimination will not end, and i do sadly think you have a point in saying that that day is quite far out of our reach, if we reach it at all.The irony of this project, in my honest opinion, though i respect the idea behind it, is that all we really end up doing is adding more groups to the list of so called others, for by searching for a little recognized other group, or groups, we are not aiding their situation but only really drawing attention to the fact that THEY are other.
DeleteMy question is:
ReplyDeleteCan we ever be sure that our perception of things is right – without consulting other people? If we do consult others, how are we to know whether theirs is true or if we’re both deluded?
We'll never know its right until we consult the person we think we have a certain perception of
DeleteWe can always tell if something is right or wrong by seeing if that "thing" hurts someone else or disturbs the environment or causes something bad to occur. People have that side of mind where they come to realize what is right.
DeleteAfter doing the other project I have learned man new life lessons and values , but the most important one I'll always respect is the value of freedom. Throughout the world many people have been mistreated or discriminated for numerous reasons making them stripped of their rights. This however doesn't stop the discriminated like the Tibetans to stop fight for freedom. Many of them die just for the awareness of other nations to notice the oppression in Tibet and to gain their deserved rights. These struggles the Tibetans go through make me realize that I have everything and. Should respect all my freedoms now because you never know when they will be taken away.
ReplyDeleteMy question is how does discrimination or isolating people lead to stripping the isolated of rights/freedoms?
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination ultimately leads to differences in rules and standards. Therefore, this affects the rights of different people since different rules are set. Truthfully, discrimination is a huge par in stripping away rights/freedoms.
DeleteAs we go on in our daily lives, we constantly cast people out as "other." This concept of other has become someone with even the slightest difference from you, even going so far as to wearing different clothes. Of course, we also see new people being accepted into our daily lives. This other project has shown me just how an "other" could feel. My topic of teenage drinking has allowed me to see how an other could be led to drinking, or how a teenage drinker becomes an other. To cope with stress, possibly from being cast aside, one begins to drink to somehow relieve the stress. Or, from a different perspective, one who drinks is seen as dirty, vile, and low, and he/she is cast aside. I used to think that this was a whole other world for me, that drinking was only for the dirty and desperate. However, as I progressed through the project, I saw that this world of teenage drinking was very close to me, how stress even from school could cause such a thing. This has allowed to me empathize with these people, to understand how coping with stress is very hard and can perhaps lead to something like this. Also, other marginalized people, perhaps by race, also go through tough times. Everyone goes through stress, and everyone wants a relief of that stress, for the burden to be lifted from their shoulders.
ReplyDeleteThought Provoking Question: How can one's stress lead to the deterioration of those around him/her?
DeleteStress is definitely universal and especially concentrated in some areas, and even in our school, Whitney. But how do we relieve this stress? I think my way is my friends. My friends, those who support me, give me the confidence and will to focus and get through each obstacle one at a time. But if I lose a friend to some reckless act, drinking or teen pregnancy, I lose confidence. They lost faith so why should'nt I? It's like everyone is my role model, influencing me who I should be and act. But if I lose a role model, I lose a sense of where I am.
DeleteThe digital story-telling of "the Other" has really connected me to the bullied. From time to time I see news on tv about a kid being bullied severely. But I honestly could not believe that people were so mean to beat a person almost to death just for their own personal needs. Also, this project has allowed me to retell the stories of the times I have been bullied throughout my childhood. Before, I did not even think about those times because I just wanted to forget them. But now that I can freely speak about those stories, I realized how much I have developed because of those times I was bullied.
ReplyDeleteMy question is what types of things are restricted if you are bullied?
I believe the knowledge in knowing that you are truly safe is restricted from you. This creates constant fear and agitation.
DeleteOur group has decided to focus upon the topic of teen dads. At first, we had initially started out with the topic of teen moms, however media has played such a crucial role in molding this topic to fit their standards, that it has almost been corrupted. On the other hand, the topic of teen dads has also been "played" by media, but these teen fathers really have not properly been able to speak out and openly present their ideas about the issue. Throughout the course of this project, I have really learned how media does play such a crucial role in the way that society sees a group of people, and how the media's opinion affects the majority group of society to in many cases develop a very negative view of this now minority group. By looking depper into the stories of teen parents, i have also realized that in many cases, teen fathers accept the fact that they now have a child to raise, but in some some cases, the mother does not accept the father. In many ways these teens are just like every one of us - going to high school, having dreams and goals they would like to one day achieve, and yes, just like every one of us they do make mistakes. These people should not be marginalized just because there are people out there that don't take the time or effort to see things from their point of view. They deserve to be given the chance to be able to openly explain themselves, and i have learned that everyone deserves the chance to do so. My question is: Why does the majority of society openly accept the ideas that the media presents to them? and if the media began promoting in favor of teen dads, how would the mojority of society react?
ReplyDeleteI think it would affect the younger generation's view of teen dads, only because the media basically controls what goes on in our everyday lives. If there's something "cool" going on on twitter, you'll see it all around school and it just adds to your point about what a big deal media plays and it affects a lot of people's everyday lives. :(
DeleteMy group's project was on the topic of discrimination against
ReplyDeletetransgenders. Although transgenders seems like an obvious topic there
is much more to the life of a transgender than cross-dressing and
transsexualism like most people think. through-out our project I
realize that transgenders have to hide who they truly because of the
treatment they receive from people. Transgenderism threatens society
like all the other imperfections of human beings, but transgenderism
also affects some peoples moral values or religious values which makes
it very hard for people to accept it. However I believe that if the
minority is strong enough, it eventually changes the way society
perceives it.
THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTION: How do the minorities of our society
affect our overall global culture????????????
I find it amazing how miniorities and how we treat minorities really define us. Culturally, minorities are like feature on your face. If you take them away, you look just like every one else: there's a face with two eyes, a nose, a mouth. But the minorities are freckles, crooked smile, chinky eyes. They differenciate us, define us. Personally, how we treat these minorities is shows how we act. How we view transgenders, teen parents, and gay people show how we respect others and ourselves.
DeleteI love minorities in our society because they bring so many new aspects to our culture and lives. These people have something different about them, and when they bring that to our lives, it changes ours too. I think it would be nice to be a minority because many people would treasure you because you're different. Some people who are the majority just blend in, and often overlooked.
DeleteMinorities in our societies define themselves and also define us. if it werent for them we couldnt call ourselves what we are as we would all be the same. we shouldnt judge these people just because they are different from us. in a cultural view they are what makes us all unique and what brings us together closer to similar people. they are what brings bonds together. its kind of ironic how the different and other people are actually bringing us closer in society
DeleteMy question is: If people look down on something (like our group's topic: teen pregnancy) what's going on that's encouraging that something (in my group's case :teen pregnancy)
ReplyDeleteThis question isn't the easiest to answer since it deals with the human mind quite a bit. There can't be only one thing that is "encouraging" it. In fact it doesn't even have to be encouragement. There are people who do things for the sake of it and their only driving factor might be ignorance. They could also think they're different themselves and wholeheartedly believe that it is because they are with their partner that they can do anything and overcome any hardships. Not to discourage any romanticism, but at such an early age handling a baby might just be too much for anyone. If you think about it, not to be insensitive or anything, but once you have the baby you hinder what you can do in life and that's that. Nothing much you can do about it. Though i wouldn't know the first thing about it and i can only sympathize. As for the encouraging factor, we could go into all sorts of reasons, but one can only infer what another person is thinking.
DeleteThe "Other" project allowed me to see how it is like for the marginalized people of society. I never knew what that had to go through until this project made me look into how they live and what other people think of them. It also changed my view on marginalized people because before I used to be one of the people that marginalizes them, but now I know what they may be going through and I want to help them.
ReplyDeleteMy "other" project topic was bullying. I had always seen and heard so many incidents of bullying, but I never did anything to prevent it. I thought that if I did, the people around me would say stuff about me too. However, I was able to find out that I wasn't the only one with this problem. So, I decided to stand up and help them. Sometimes, bullied people keep it to themselves and not tell anybody because they may fear that if the bullies are caught they would hurt them even more.
ReplyDeleteMY QUESTION: How would school life or life in general be without bullies?
School life would probably be like Whitney! Without bullies, everyone at school would not only be one big, happy family, but the environment would be much safer and much more lively.
DeleteIf i look back and think about it i was able to empathize with my group of "other", but i believe that only because it was one of the few topics i could actually empathize with. You see other people's situations and think to yourself, "they are really being treated unfairly" or something along those lines, but that just scratches the border. It's a form of sympathizing and acknowledging that they're in a bad position, but what now. You don't do much and go back to your daily lives. The thin line between sympathy and empathy is not what it seems. If you look down into it you can see a trench and what that line actually means. Our topic pretty much took a look at the "hoods" or the different other groups that fall under a certain hood. How these people with hoods were taken to be ostracized from the outside, but inside their hood it was more like a solitary sanctuary. Solitude from the outside world, but a sanctuary within. The step that really took me to empathize with all of this was the connection to our own Whitney High School. Since we are a group of intellectuals, but in that in a selective school of individuals we are in our own isolation. From the outside, some may look upon us as different for our intellect. Though the same goes for the other side of the story because within ourselves we are a celebrated group of individuals where our intelligence is met with open arms. Where we have a place to ourselves to show what we can do and how far our potential will take us. In this case different may mean just that much more. Taking a look at what people consider as "different" or "other" let's us see who the other actually is for themselves. Obviously we can't know them personally, but we can infer from things like this that not all people associated with a hood are bad. It is just a common stereotype. We see people like Trayvon Martin on the news and think to ourselves how bad that could be. Shooting a kid for just wearing a hood, but would we have thought much different on a daily basis. We probably wouldn't have shot at him, but wouldn't we judge him subconsciously and think "oh, its a black guy walking down the street with a hood on, seems suspicious". Then with our baseless stereotype we continue with our everyday lives. My whole point was, until you take an "other" group and put it into context with something is directly connected to you, you won't empathize and the "other project has made me realize this.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is that, people are only other because we make them out to be other
DeleteI couldnt have said it better myself. WE categorize people as other for a myriad reasons, its an interesting phenomenon for even the most intelligent and informed in the world that know in their brains that discrimination by pigmentation is only a figment of our imagination, even we still discriminate and we may not even know it. And i can't agree more that the only true way to defeat that mentality of categorizing people as other is to connect them to you, thus making them similar to you and not "Other," Something i think our group did beautifully, and i think it really rocked our perspective on the world we share
Deletequestion: What steps do you think society must take in order to stop the spread of discrimination/marginalization?
ReplyDeleteThe "Others" project helped me have a clearer view of the world. I think that this experience and research on the subject immigration made me realize that we're lucky to be the ones that aren't treated unfairly. I believe that in our generation, we have the ability to spread the word. We have the power to influence others. We should do this by using any type of social network or media to inform others about this information, so they can make a change as we have done our part in ours.
ReplyDeleteMy question to you is: How should illegal immigrants be treated? Should they be considered our friend or as an outsider?
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they should be treated as friends because illegal immigrants are just people who want to start a new life and support their family. But instead of sending them back, we should help them become legal immigrants.
DeleteOur "other" project was based upon the people of Tibet and their everyday struggles that we don't understand. As Americans, we come with baggage (intellectual baggage) when we travel to other countries expecting everyone to live up to our expectations. Most people of other countries have their own baggage about "stereotypical" Americans in their respective countries. Now, the people in Tibet have in constant crisis over the various wars between India and China. Using Gandhi's memento of peaceful yet meaningful protest, the Buddhist monks have resolved to set themselves on fire as a type of protest. The "other" project in general has allowed us to understand all sides of the story not just the too most important sides. I would say every story has three dimensions defined by the protagonist, the antagonist, and a neutral party that watches the plot take place.
ReplyDeleteThe reason this "other" project is really interesting is that..I was sort of one of those who marginalized teen dads (my topic). Sadly, I was one of those who looked down on/was indifferent to teen parents. I thought the typical: the guy pressured the girl, these teens threw their lifes away for the heck of it, most teen dads will leave voluntarily. But this project has caused me to open my eyes to a different point of view in which these are all just assumptions and misconceptions.This new view has caused me to sympathize with these teen dads. They are absolutely not given the necessary encouragement to raise a child. Instead, they are treated with endless negativity, which is a major factor of forcing teen dads to leave. And why are the girls given less of the blame? Why are they seen as vulnerable and taken advantage of? Without these influences and ideologies of society, essentially, both parents would be equally blamed for their recklessness. But to all those reading this: why are women automatically protected? Where in society was this rule set?
ReplyDeleteThese other groups as i have said before are only like this because we make them out to be "other". It means that in some point in time that we probably believed this to an extent. After we finish this other project, what are we really going to do. Go on our merry way with our normal lives never thinking about this again? What are we really doing besides telling you are about these people, why they are ostracized, and why not to marginalize them. Most of this stuff is as clear as day and night to most of us, yet what do we do? We sit back and let others do the work for us. My question pretty much is:
ReplyDeleteHow much more do we really care about these people? What are we really doing besides telling you more about these people? How many of us truly empathized with the homeless man on the sofa besides himself? I mean, you don't see us all inspired to go help the homeless now because of that video. Don't get me wrong because it was touching and i could sympathize, but i can't promise i did too much more from the sole fact i was never homeless before.
No this is true, for this was a project that purely off of its design generates sympathy, but not empathy, and only with the latter can action be taken and a change be made, its a fine line which really involves only changing and SY to an E, but those few letters make all the difference in the world. When we watch these movies we will be touched, we will sympathize, but unless it hits right close to home, we will not empathize, and thus it will make no lasting reaction, only a 3-4 minute feeling of pity that if anything only degrades the honor of the people having to live in these situations
DeleteOur "other" project was about the way immigrants are treated. These immigrants are treated differently because of the way they act, their accents, and there traditions. Immigrants is a very general word that is used to categorize any person/people coming from one place to another. For example, people that come from different elementary schools to Whitney, Carmenita, etc. People that dont seem to fit in are singled out, and groups are formed. I learned that this is a major problem in the world and in the United States. Immigrants shouldnt be treated differently and judged just because they act different from us, an immigrant is still a person, and every person should be treated with equal respect.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: If everyone stayed in one country and no one immigrated, how would the world be a different place?
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Answer: This exciting experience of creating an "other" project has given me the opportunity to create personal opinions. Basing my digital media story off of such a controversial topic, the 1%, and taking their side, has allowed me to realize how the media often marginalizes certain groups and influences society to do the same. The 1% is targeted for their success by being drowned by the government in laws and regulations and protested against by raging, irrational people. These leaders have received such a negative connotation, when in reality, the 99% are simply envious individuals in search of a scapegoat. Before completing this medium, my ignorance of the topic led me to believe in the will of the 99%. The rich are corrupt and sinful. However, the wealthy are where they are today because of their hard work, dedication, and drive. All in all, this project has allowed me to conjure up opinions for myself by evaluating the facts, rather than an outside influence pressuring my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What is your opinion of the 1%?
The "other" project really helped broaden my mind because it helped me understand teenage alcoholics and drug addicts. I never really gave them much thought except that they made bad decisions. But actually, many of those teenagers suffer through really heavy stress, which causes them to turn to drugs and alcohol. It's not entirely their fault that they took drugs and alcohol. Maybe no one taught them how to positively deal with overwhelming stress. Also, they might have tried other stress releasing methods, but eventually turned to drugs and alcohol when none of those worked.
ReplyDeletePeople always look down on these teenagers because they think that these teenagers only chose to do drugs and alcohol because they want to look cool or other reasons that relate to the teenagers' pride. Even I sometimes look down on teenage drug addicts and alcoholics because I thought it was stupid to use drugs and alcohol to look cool or fit in. No one really spends more than a few seconds to think about these teenagers' reasons for drug and alcohol abuse. But, if people actually stop and think about it, they would begin to understand why teenagers choose these drugs and alcohol to relieve stress.
But, I want to know, if there's a teenager who succumbs to peer pressure to use drugs or alcohol by his/her friends, whose fault is that? Is it the teenager's fault because he/she gave in? Or is it his/her friends fault for pressuring him/her into doing drugs and alcohol?
The "other" project allowed me to see different aspects of different lives that I never came in contact with. At Whitney, bullying isn't common or even seen. Therefore, researching information on bullies and just seeing the affects of bullying through images has allowed me to see the lives of the weak and unprotected. Like Atticus said, it is impossible to truly understand someone without walking in "his or her skin." This is exactly what I tried to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I learned that many people are trying to take a stand against bullying. The "other" project allowed me to get in contact with others that want to end this violence. However, most of all, I learned that bullying is connected to everyone and that it is everywhere.
Why are the bullied often considered unprotected? Why do we need to take a stand?
The "other" project showed me the different points of view that people. I know know the different marginalized people in the world and how they are outcasted and treated from society. My other were teenage drug users and how the majority of them use these drugs to cope with the stress they face in life. it is not their fault that they fall into the trap as they themselves need help to get out. The overwhelming pressure given by their peers, parents and by themselves pushes them to strive even harder which causes them to break. i know see why the real reason these people abuse these drugs as they cannot even quit and dont want to as the drug is the only thing keeping them "alive". This project has allowed me to see the marginalized in theo world and to respect more of the people that are in society. Just because we see them in real life is completely different than living with them, so we have no right to jusge them.
ReplyDeleteHow do you think drug abuse from a close relative affects a child physically and mentally?